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A Lawn Without 
Dandelions 



By 



JOS. F. O'BYRNE, E. M., 2nd Lieut. A. S. S. R. C. 

Professor of Descriptive Geometry and Technical Drawing, 

Colorado School of Mines 

Author of "Descriptive Geometry, with its applications to Shades 

and Shadows, Isometric Projections, Perspective Projections 

and Mine Surveying" "Telegraph Codes", or "Twenty 

Words Per Minute in Twenty Lessons." 




Copyright 1921, J. F. O'Byrne 



Published by 
FOSS DRUG COMPANY 

Golden, Colo, 

PRICE 50 CENTS 



Preface 






3'^ 



The writer has observed for many years the struggle of Mr. 
Average Citizen against the dandelion ; but never became actively 
engaged in the combat until last spring, when he nonchalantly 
took an asf>aragus knife and dug up, as he thought, some of the 
weeds from his lawn. He also trimmed the corner of the lawn 
near the sidewalk by shoving a spade under the weeds, and also 
the grass, cutting them off and carelessly depositing them, flowers 
and all, just outside the curbing. Then he fatuously planted some 
grass seed and left for a short trip. 

On his return he discovered that he had raised a splendid 
crop of dandelions, and had destroyed whatever chance the grass 
had had in its struggle against the weed. He found also that the 
flowers which had been cut off were turned to seed and blown 
about where they would do the worst good. 

There followed a battle which would merely take up space 
to describe. Any way, the reader has been all through similar 
ones, and has, no doubt, been worsted by the weed in a manner 
similar to that experienced by the writer. 

Finally, the scheme mentioned in this booklet was thought 
out and followed on a patch of the lawn six feet in length by four 
feet in width with a success that was, and is, a source of inestima- 
ble satisfaction. 

The reader must remember that the instructions for getting 
rid of the dandelion could be given in one sentence ; but such in- 
stnictions would not be followed. Therefore the purely teaching 
method with questions and answers, as given herein, was decided 
upon for the purpose of giving the reader the exact reason why 
he could kill forever this pest in his lawn. 



0)Ci,A611^49 



A Lawn Without Dandelions 

Since tlie reader has come into possession of this little pam- 
phlet, we will assume that he is one of those earnest citizens who 
has dug up, cut down, squirted gasoline on, and otherwise waged 
relentless warfare against that persistent weed, the dandelion; 
and that he has observed how year after year this "yellow peril" 
of the green lawn has laughed at all of his efforts at its eradica- 
tion. We will also assume that he has blamed this condition on 
the fact that no organized movement of lawn ownei^ has been 
made against the pest, and so has decided that he could do noth- 
ing individually to free his lawn of this affliction. 

Like many things in life it will come to him as a shock to 
learn that he has been pampering the dandelion, helping it along 
in life, assisting it in ways it enjoys, and doing in general the 
very things that make it possible for the dandelion to live and 
crowd out of existence his much desired blue grass or clover. 

In order to prove the truth of the assertions made in the pre- 
ceding paragraph, we will turn to the Theory of Evolution and 
make inquiiy there relative to the meaning of the phrase "sur- 
vival of the fittest." 

Let us examine a tree in the spring for bugs and worms. 
After comparing the various kinds we find crawling on the leaves, 
we discover that nearly all of them are green in color. The ques- 
tion naturally arises, then, as to why the bugs are green. It surely 
is not because the bugs eat the green leaves, else we should have 
green cows and green horses. 

Turning to a book on natural history we leam that long ago 
by the laws of variation there were probably bugs of all colors; 
but the colors other than green, being easily observed by birds, 
the possessors of those colors became toothsome morsels for the 
birds, and hence left few if any descendants. The green bugs, on 
the other hand, were comparatively invisible, escaped the watch- 
ful eyes of the birds, and hence left descendants; and since by a 
natural law the offspring resemble the parents, the green color 
was transmitted in turn to all descendants. 

To repeat in little words : The birds ate the bugs which were 
of colors other than green, and so these bugs left no descendants 
with their colors. The green bugs, escaping observation in greater 
numbers, left descendants of green color. We observe, therefore, 
that the green hugs were hetter able to survive hy reason of thsir 
green color ^ and speaking '"''huggily^'' are the survivsJ of the fittesL 

It will take some time for the reader, if he has not previously 
given the subject some thought, to get the theory of evolution to 
such an extent that he can see a constant struggle for existence 
going on all about him, even in Ais dealings with other men., with 
whom he struggles daily, so another illustration will not be out 
of place. 



Take as an example the sage grouse, commonly called sage 
hen (sub-family Tetraonidoe) of the great American Desert. 
This bird has the characteristic that the hen is scentless during 
the brooding period. In this condition a coyote might pass with- 
in one foot of the hen sitting quietly in the sage brush, and keen 
as is the scent of the animal, he would be unaware that this ordi- 
narily strongly scented bird were about. 

Thoughtlessly, we might say that this was a wise provision 
of nature ; scientifically we know that in the past there were prob- 
ably all kinds of sage hens, the scented and the scentlass, during 
the brooding period, hut predatory animals eliminated those 
which ivere easily discovered; these left no descendants, and 
hence we say that the hens which by variation were scentless dur- 
ing the brooding period were the better fitted to survive, and 
therefore were the survival of the fittest. 

Many other examples could be mentioned, in fact, all nature 
is full of examples; but the foregoing will be ample for the pur- 
pose of this pam]>hlet, namely, to show the reader that he must 
not do those things that help the dandelion to survive, if 
h-e vyishes to Mil the weeds in his laum, and keep them from ever 
coining back. 

Before stating what must be done to kill the weeds, it will be 
necessary to state two facts which have probably escaped the 
reader's attention, and to mention briefly the battle as it has been 
fought by Mr. Average Citizen in the past. 

(A) In any struggle for existence, the hardier varieties (other 
things being equal) will survive, and, 

(B) //?. a7iy struggle for existence, yonth will always tri- 
umph over age. 

Let us examine (A) in order to see what w^e mean by hardier 
varieties, and to see how the dandelion is hardier than the grass. 

Question. What are the characteristics of the dandelion which 
enable it to kill the grass? 

Answer. The dandelion is hardier primarily because it has 
the invaluable characteristic of being able quickly to shoot up a 
flower on a long stem high above the ground, and after the flower 
has been fertilized by insects, to scatter the seeds broadcast by 
the aid of a little parachute on each seed adapted to be blown 
about by the passing wnnds, and to do this at two regular times 
each year, and many irregular times. 

Question. How does this help the dandelion to survive? 
Answer. By continually having youthful dandelions in proc- 
ess of growth. 

Question. Admitting that (B) is correct, how does it effect 
the stiiiggle of the grass against the dandelion? 



Answer. The dandelions being youtJiful have more strengt-h 
than the grass which is old, and hence crowd out and finally kill 
the grass. 

Question. Why is the grass old? 

Answer. Because the owner of the lawn, in his endeavors 
to have a. well-kept lawn, continually cuts the grass, and so pre- 
vents it from going to seed. 

Question. Why does this not prevent the dandelion from 
going to seed ? 

Answer. Because the dandelion is ever alert trying to scat- 
ter seeds, and between cuttings will shoot up a flower and go to 
seed before the poor man can think to pull it up. 

Question. What other peculiar thing will the dandelion do 
in its endeavors to go to seed? 

Answer. If a dandelion flower is cut off of the parent plant, 
it will go to seed within twenty-four hours. 

Question. How can one be sure that the flower of the dande- 
lion will not go to seed ? 

Answer. Bum the flower. 

Question. Does cutting the dandelion retard its growth? 
Answer. It does not; it cultivates the weed. 

Question. Does a dandelion spread by any other method 
than that of going to seed? 

Answer. Yes, its roots run laterally under the ground and 
shoots come up at various places along these roots. 

Question. What method has the owner of the lawn usually 
followed in fighting the dandelion ? 

Answer. He has simply dug up the pest and as a rule has 
left a bare space in the lawn ; and this bare space has been soon 
filled with another dandelion seed, so that nothing pennanent was 
accomplished. 

THE REMEDY 

Question. What is the scientific basic method for ridding 
the lawn of dandelions? 

Answer. Fight the weed by the same methods it uses in fight- 
ing the grass, or by methods as similar as can be devised. 

Question. What is the most essential thing to do? 
Answer. I^t the grass go to seed. 

Question. But that would not give a well-cut lawn ? 
Answer. Then huy neio seed and scatter it thickly over the 
lawn in order to grow a thick turf. 



Question. Wliat is the use of the thick turf ? 

Answer. The thick turf is the secret of getting rid of the 
dandelions — the thick turf prevents a dandelion seed, blowing 
from, the yard of a neighbor^ from reaching the ground. Then 
when the lawn is sprinkled, the dandelion seed sprouts, and hav- 
ing no soil in which to grow, it dries and dies. 

Question. The plan of action, then, is to buy new seed from 
one of the seed houses, artificially reproduce the action of the 
grass going to seed, and cut the old grass in the usual way ? 

Answer. Exactly that. 

Question. Wliat effect has the new young grass on the old 
grass? 

Answer. It crowds out and kills much of the old grass. 

PUTTING THE REMEDY INTO EFFECT 

Question. What is the firet thing to do in beginning work 
on the lawn with the object of ridding it of dandelions? 

Answer. Measiire the lawn and compute the number of 
square feet in area. 

Question. Why is this necessary? 

Answer. In order to compute the number of pounds of grass 
seed required. 

Question. What unit size is used in determining the amount 
of seed required ? 

Answer. One hundred square feet, called a square. This 
may be in a rectangle 25 feet long by 4 feet wide, or in a square 
10 feet by 10 feet, or in any other combination. 

Question. What is to be done if the lawn is very large? 

Answer. Employ a surveyor to measure it ; tell him accuracy 
is not desired, and he will give you a "huriy-up" job that will not 
be very expensive. Often it is possible to compute the number 
of square feet by examination of a map of the grounds. 

Question. How much seed should be scattered on 100 square 
feet of lawn, or on a square? 

Answer. One and one-half pounds to two and one-half 
pounds of seed to each square. This is more than the amount 
advised by most seed houses for planting new lawns. 

Question. Why is it necessary to use more than seed houses 
advise ? 

Answer, Because the writer has actually experimented to 
see how much is required, and these are the figures he obtained. 
He found that it is best to scatter such a quantity of seed that 
a struggle begins at once between the seeds themselves, and hence 



only the hardiest survive. The grass from these hardiest seeds 
therefore is better able to struggle against the dandelion. 

Question. Is it well to cover the seed with soil? 

Answ^er. It is not; it is best to place the seed on the ground, 
agitate the grass with a broom so the seed will reach the ground 
and not stay on the blades, and then allow the hardier varieties 
to grow by the natural process of sprouting on the ground. Nat- 
urally no weak seeds will survive this treatment, and the result- 
ing growth will be lusty. 

Question. After the seed is on the ground, what is to be done ? 
Answer. Wet it well at once, so it will not blow away, and 
so it will sprout, and be careful to water each day thereafter. 

Question. What is the cost in seed for each 100 square feet 
of lawn ? 

Answer. About 60 cents for each 100 square feet of lawn if 
the seed is bought retail in 10 pound lots. For large amounts of 
seed, a dealer should be consulted. 

Question. Is there anything else that should be done to the 
lawn? 

Answer. Yes, it should be spread over with lawn dressing, 
fertilizer, two iveeks hefore seeding^ or hetter two weeks after. 
If spread on with the seed it has a marked tendency to bum 
the seed. 

Question. Wliat will this cost? 

Answer. Bought at retail at about 30 cents for a 10 pound 
sack (which will cover 200 square feet) the cost would be about 
15 cents for each square. For large amounts a dealer should be 
consulted. Any seed house handles fertilizer, lawn dressing. 

Question. Is there anything else that must be done? 
Answer. Yes, the dandelions will have to be dug up. 

Question. Then it is going to take money and work ? 
Answer. Most assuredly. 

Question, Then how does this method a])pear as different 
from the usual scheme of digging up the dandelions ? 

Answer. It is different in that it will be necessary to dig 
ujD the dandelion from a particular spot once only. In other 
words, it is possible to keep loJuit you get in advantage over the 
dandelion^ if you will sow grass so thickly after the digging that 
another dandelion seed cannot gain a start. 

Question. After digging the dandelion, can anything be done 
at that particular spot to assist in killing the weed ? 

Answer. One thing can be done to help the entire work, if 
the owner of the lawn does not object to clover, namely, to drop 



much clover seed in the hole and about the hole. This will come 
up very quickly, and so will prevent the appearance of the dande- 
lion at that spot. It must be remembered that cutting the weed 
below tlie g^i-ound does not kill it, and so measures must be adopted 
to stifle the growth. 

Question. What can be said in general about the method 
advocated in this pamphlet for eradicating the dandelion? 

Answer. That the task is not one for a boy, or for Mr. Shift- 
less; but is a job for a "he man" with all his senses alert. 

Question, What, then, is the procedure, step by step, for 
getting the maximum amount of results from the work ? 

Answer. This will be given below, with the steps numbered. 



Measure the lawn and find the total number of square feet. 
Divide this number by 100 by pointing off two decimal places 
from the right. Multiply this result by a number between 1.5 
and 2.5, depending on the thickness of the grass, thus obtaining 
the number of pounds of seed required. 

Also compute the number of pounds of fertilizer required 
by multiplying the number of squares in area (which was ob- 
tained in the preceding paragraph by dividing the total number 
of square feet by 100) by 5. 

Question. Is it possible to get along without the fertilizer? 
Answer. In a few cases out of a score. The lawn owner 
must decide this for himself. 

II 

Go to a seed store and buy a "dandelion digger" (proper 
name, asparagus knife), the necessary seed, blue grass, and the 
fertilizer. Then, if you have no objection to clover in your lawn, 
buy a few pounds of clover seed as a starter. 

Ill 

Select the best place on the lawn to start, and lay out a 
patx^h, preferably with two sides on the edge of the lawn, with 
white string and pegs so that the area does not exceed an amount 
which the owner of the lawn can clear of dandelions at one on- 
slaught. For the average evening spent at the work, the area 
should not exceed 40 square feet, or a space rectangular in shape 
10 feet by 4 feet. It is obvious that the alwve is not a fixed nile^ — 
it must be varied to suit each case. For example, if the dande- 
lions are very thick the area may be reduced, or if there are not 
so many of them the area may be increased. 

IV 

Begin, now, and dig each dandelion, cutting each one off as 
deeply as possible. After each dandelion is pulled out, push the 



soil down firmly to close the hole, and scatter clover seed thickly 
about the spot. The writer has obtained sure results, after the 
plant has been cut off, by driving the dandelion root down deep, 
with a piece of broom handle and a hammer, and then filling in 
the hole with new soil. Also dig up all other weeds. 



After the space is clear of dandelions, cut the grass as close 
as possible., and spread the seed uniformly on the ground, brush- 
ing the grass with a broom so that all of the seed is sure to reach 
the soil. Use 11/2 to 21/0 pounds of seed per square (100 square 
feet), projDortioning for the particular area under treatment. 

VI 

On the freshly cut face of a stick put the date, and push the 
stick into the ground, so that if fertilizer is to be used it may be 
spread two weeks later. 

VII 

Soak the area well with water; use the spray from the hose 
so that the seeds will not be washed about. 

VIII 

Treat a new patch the following day, and one new patch 
every day thereafter, moving over the lawn in a systematic man- 
ner in order, finally, to cover it all. 

IX 

After you get started and your neighbors come over with 
tons of free advice, and the doubting Thomases and gentlemen 
from Missouri (you may inform these that they will be shown in 
the fall) have had their say; and you begin to feel just a bit 
doubtful yourself, remember that not one of them can suggest 
anything hetter. In other words, their criticism will l)e anything 
but constructive. 

X 

Keep the lawn well watered up to the very last day in the 
fall that this is possible. Then when you decide to do no more 
watering, have the lawn covered with manure for the winter 
months. This will make certain that the following summer an 
ideal lawn will have been made. This covering of manure is 
necessary because the roots of seeds scattered on top of the ground 
have a poorer start into the ground than the roots of seeds which 
are covered with soil, and so have less chance of surviving the 
winter. 

If the lawn is treated as outlined herein, beginning in the 
spring, the covering of manure is not necessary ; but if the treat- 
ment is started as late as September, or the latter part of August, 
then the manure is esse^ntial. 



Question. In what circumstances does this method fail? 

Answer. In the hands of Mr. Shiftless the method is prac- 
tically certain to fail. This Mr. Shiftless looks over the pamphlet, 
and says: "Well, I guess I shall improve on this method; this 
'tommy-rot' about small spaces for intensive treatment doesn't get 
anywhere with me — I'll just scatter plenty of seed and pull the 
dandelions here and there. I guess it will work all right." 

What happens is this: Mr. Shiftless digs dandelions day 
after day walking over the tender little sprouts of grass, killing 
great numbers, and retarding the growth of those that are not 
killed. In the end he has accomplished little as compared with 
what he could accomplish by the system outlined in this pam- 
phlet. Also, the total work he does will be greater than the 
amount he would do by being systematic. 

Question. Is there any way Mr. Shiftless can succeed? 

Answer. Yes., there is one easy way. It comes about through 
the fact that Mr. Shiftless usually marries JSiiss Careful. There- 
fore, if he will let his wife direct the work and do as she says, 
the results will approximate perfection. 

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS 

After a patch has been treated as mentioned, it is essential 
to watch it carefully atid jyull up any dandelions that may gain 
a start hefore the new thick turf is formed. 

Also pull up any other weeds that may gain a start. 

Keep the grass cut on the patches treated so that the sun- 
light loill reach the tender sprouts of grass. Do this cutting only 
a,fter a few weeks., or wJwn it is essential'. In other words, give 
the new seed every posvsible chance, and above all things use com- 
mon sense for new problems as they arise. Finally., he sure to 
cover all hare spots with plenty of grass seed. TTiis is most 
important ! 

BEST TIME TO BEGIN 

The best time to begin is, of course, in the spring, so the 
grass which is planted will have the longest possible growing 
season. In general, it is not advisable to start later than the 
middle of August, and only then when the manure covering is 
contemplated. 

IMPORTANT ! 

The average person must hear a song or an instrumental 
piece several times (even if the piece makes a hit) before he 
understands it and gets the fullest enjoyment from it. In other 
words, he has to hear it several times before he understands it; 
after understanding comes, he enjoys it, and then he says he 
likes it, and tells all of his friends about it. 



For the foregoing fundamental reason this 'pamphlet must 
he read many times^ or until it is thoroughly understood. After 
it is understood, the reader will enjoy it; and after that he will 
go out on the lawn, start the work and thoroughly enjoy it — 
for victory is certain, if the method is thoroughly understood. 

ABOUT FERTILIZERS 

Manure, if it can be obtained free, is cheaper than ordinary 
fertilizer as sold by the seed houses. If the reader is obliged to 
buy it, however, he will find that the dry fertilizer as sold by 
the seed houses is the cheaper. Manure has the disadvantage that 
it often contains wheat, oats, or other seeds. This disadvantage 
can be overcome by a little more digging, if the contained seeds 
germinate. It also has the disadvantage that three months 
weathering (Ohio Bulletin 246) reduces it as follows: Dry matter, 
33.7%; Nitrogen, 35.6%; Phosphoric acid, 22.5%; and Potash, 
51.0%. It is therefore not a balanced plant food, unless great 
care has been exercised to prevent weathering. Unfortunately 
this precaution is rarely taken. 

ABOUT NEW SCHEMES 

Question. If the dandelions are very thick, is it ever ad- 
visable to dig up the entire lawn ? 

Answer. In general, no! But if the lawn owner has plenty 
of money to spend, and does not wish to be bothered with any 
systematic method, then the lawn may be plowed up, the dande- 
lions raked out, and a new lawn sown. 

Question. If a new lawn is put in as mentioned in the pre- 
ceding paragraph, what must be done to keep it free of dande- 
lions ? 

Answer. Watch it carefully, and keep all bare spaces covered 
with grass seed ; for the bare spaces are the places the dandelions 
gain a start. 

Question. Wliat other new schemes will the reader of this 
pamphlet probably think about? 

Answer. First he will reason that it ought to be possible 
to kill the dandelions by sowing great quantities of grnss and 
clover seed, letting the dandelions die by the crowding of the 
new grass, thus saving the digging of the dandelions. The writer 
tried this on a small patch for a short time without success. Ex- 
tended over many years it might be partially successful : it is not 
to be recommended. 

Question. Were any other schemes tried? 

Answer. Many were tried. On one patch seed was sown 
thickly and then the leaves of the dandelions were pulled off as 
they grew, the writer reasoning that if the dandelions were de- 

11 



prived of sunlight they would finall}^ die. Under this treatment 
the dandelions grew big and strong, and finally had to be dug up. 

Question. What is the objection to gasoline? 

Answer. AVliile it kills the dandelion almost at once, rotting 
the weed down the stem for as much as eight or ten inches below 
the ground, it also kills the adjacent grass, and when it falls on 
the ground it renders the soil unfit for growing anything. In- 
jected into the dandelion, it works well ; but it takes more time 
to inject gasoline into the dandelion (with a hypodermic needle 
and syringe such as veterinary surgeons use on horses) than it 
takes to dig up the weed. 

Question. Is there any solution than can be sprayed on the 
lawn which will kill the dandelions and not kill the grass? 

Answer. The human race is ever seeking a panacea for all 
ills, the elixir of life, the fountain of youth, or some other equally 
futile thing. On examining the progress made in these various 
searches we discover that none of them are popular if they de- 
mand denial, or hard work. That is why the method given in 
this pamphlet for ridding the lawn of dandelions cannot be as 
popular as one which works by the simple expedient of squirting 
a solution over the lawn. However, the method which requires 
hard work will win; and the writer knows of no solution that 
will give the desired result, though claim has been made from 
time to time that such a solution has been discovered. 



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